SAUGUS — When students enter Cecelia Fisher’s pottery class at Saugus High School, they know they’re in good hands.
In addition to the typical ceramics class offering at Saugus, students also have the opportunity to take an introductory pottery course thanks to the school’s supply of 10 pottery wheels and two kilns.
Fisher, who’s worked at the school for 11 years and was one of two art teachers to introduce the class during her first year, thinks students gain particular benefits from learning about the often finicky and time-consuming art form.
“I think it’s an awesome course because we’re such an instant-gratification society, and this is so deferred,” she said. “It takes so long from start to finish, which is really cool. I don’t know that they get that a lot in other areas. It’s nice.”
For Fisher’s students, the class can be therapeutic and an escape from the stresses of school.
“I just love the class so much. It’s a nice free block and I love Ms. Fisher. She’s awesome,” said senior Krista Silipigni. “It’s a good distraction for me, like from the outside world, and it’s in school so it’s easy (to fit into my schedule).”
Fisher says she starts each semester by introducing students to a variety of foundational skills for techniques, such as hand building and wheel throwing, then gives them a chance to put their new skills to use during independently-guided projects. These projects can be a test in more ways than one.
“There’s a full range of emotions with it. It can be really frustrating,” Fisher said.
“I had a kid (who was working) on a wheel-thrown piece. He was trimming it and at one point something caught and the whole thing went flying off. All of a sudden, it was just gone.
“It’s one of those things where you get that full gamut. You can get a lot of joy from it. You can really get frustrated, too. It’s good that way though, you know. It’s life.”
Junior Cole Moment says he took the class as a way to explore other forms of art.
“I’m usually good with sketching, but I enjoy this, even though I get nervous sometimes that I might mess up,” he said.
Despite the school’s ability to provide students with a plethora of equipment, Fisher says the current building doesn’t have the space to use all the wheels at once. That will change once the high school combines with the town’s middle school to move into a new, state-of-the-art building next year.
Not only will the new building house a much larger art wing, but Fisher says she was able to give architects her own input as to what she thinks the school’s art programs need. That includes a separate room dedicated solely to ceramics and pottery, and enough space for all 10 pottery wheels to be used at the same time.
Saugus High School principal Michael Hashem hopes that once the new building opens, the school will be able to offer more pottery classes to accommodate all the students looking to take the course every semester.
“Because of how many wheels we have, right now we’re only offering (a few) classes each semester,” he said. “But it’s a big interest.”
